Ten feared dead after three explosions on massive oil rig

Ten people are feared dead after three explosions rocked the world's biggest offshore oil rig.

The rig off Brazil's Rio Janeiro coast is leaning dangerously after the blasts caused a fire.

One of the 175 workers on board has been killed while nine are missing and another has been taken to hospital with severe burns.

The 40-storey rig is threatening to spill at least 750 cubic metres of crude oil and diesel into the sea.

Search and rescue operations were underway as public outrage mounted against the accident-prone Petrobras rig.

"Petrobras is much more worried about cutting costs than ensuring the safety of its workers and of the environment," said Jandira Segalli, a federal deputy.

Union leaders called a nationwide protest to demand safer working conditions.

More than 80 oil workers have died in accidents over the last three years, according to the United Oil Workers Federation (FUP).

It is still unclear what caused the explosions at the platform, which is located in the Roncador oilfield, 78 miles offshore.

If the structure keels over into the sea, at least half of the 1,200 cubic metres of diesel and 300 cubic metres of crude stored on the rig could spill.